Andrew “Drew” Henry Buttery, 17, of Llano, Texas, passed away Sunday, September 30, 2012. He was born February 27, 1995, to Angela Renee (Johnson) Buttery and John David Buttery in Austin, Texas. Drew was a lifetime resident of Llano and a member of the Lutie Watkins Memorial United Methodist Church.

Drew was a senior at Llano High School, where he not only excelled scholastically but also was active in extracurricular activities. He served as President of the National Honor Society, President of the High School Band, and Vice President of the Student Council. As a member of the State Championship UIL Spelling & Vocabulary Team this past spring, he received a Fourth Place State Individual Award. He also was a member of the high school debate team and a National Qualifier of the CX Debate. His PSAT score earned him status as a National Merit Commended Scholar, and his SAT scores for college acceptance were in the Top 1% of the nation, with perfect scores in both reading and writing. He was recently named an AP Scholar and currently ranked third in his class.

In 2011, Drew was chosen as one of two members of his class to represent Llano High School at the Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference held at the University of Texas. This past summer, he participated in the Texas Boys State Conference where he was elected as mayor of his city, which he viewed as the most exciting position in the conference. Additionally, Drew loved to write and recently won a multi-county essay contest sponsored by CTEC, who awarded him a trip to Washington, DC.

Drew played saxophone in the Llano High School Yellow Jacket Band and earned a chair in both the Regional and Area Bands.

In addition to Drew’s focus on school, he was also involved in community service. In 2009 and 2010, he participated in the church-sponsored MPACT Program that helps needy families with domestic tasks. During 2011, he helped with Student Council-sponsored “Backpacks for Buddies,” that provides a weekend meal for certain members of the Llano student body, and he also served as an after-school tutor four days per week. Last summer, Drew was a member of the Costa Rica Mission Team, working to construct an orphanage.

Even outside of the classroom, Drew was a bookworm and spent many hours each week reading. He enjoyed laughing with friends and possessed a quick wit. He had an insatiable curiosity about the world and deep sense of empathy for others — one with high ideals who had a way to make everyone feel valued.

He was extremely close to his family and enjoyed nightly meals at the table as well as family outings and vacations. Drew had become very comfortable with his role as big brother and set an excellent example for Heath, who loved him deeply and looked up to him. Drew will be greatly missed by all who knew him — be it as a son, brother, classmate, or friend. He will remain in our hearts forever. Survivors include his parents, John and Angela Buttery of Llano, Texas; brother, Heath Joseph Buttery of Llano; maternal grandfather, Merritt Johnson and wife Diane of Longview, Texas; maternal grandmother, Martha Hunt and husband James of Longview, Texas; aunt Brenda Durst and husband Dusty of Llano; aunt, Jean Wallace and husband Harold of Edmond, Oklahoma; uncle, William Buttery and wife Becky of Llano; uncle, Marshall Johnson of Los Angeles, California; cousin, Travis Allen and wife Dawna of Dallas, Texas; cousin, Troy Allen of Llano; cousin, Kristin Wallace of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; cousin, Michael Wallace of Stillwater, Oklahoma; and a loving extended family. His paternal grandparents, Henry and Norma Buttery of Llano, preceded him in death.

A “Tribute to Drew” organized by the Llano youth was held on Wednesday evening, October 3 at the Methodist Church. The church was also the location for visitation with family and friends on Thursday evening, October 4.

Funeral services were held Friday, October 5, 2012, at 2:00 P.M. at the Llano High School Auditorium and officiated by Stan Troy and Dick West. Pallbearers were Levi Bailey, Matthew Center, Zach Morgan, Jacob Thomsen, John Winn, and Caleb Wright. Honorary Pallbearers were the Llano High School Class of 2013. Burial followed at the Llano City Cemetery.

The family would like to express their heartfelt thanks to all friends, the school, and the community for their overwhelming loving care and extraordinary support.

If desired, memorial contributions can be made to the Andrew H. Buttery Scholarship Fund through the Llano National Bank.

Funeral arrangements made under the direction of Waldrope-Hatfield-Hawthorne Funeral Homes, Inc. Llano. Condolences may be emailed to whh funeral1@verizon.net or submitted via the online guestbook at www.whh funeral home.com.

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